160 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [april 4 , 
tains the spermatheca itself, the disposition of these structures in 
Neodrilus is perfectly normal. 
The Nephridia have exactly the same structure as in Acanthodrilus 
dissimilis, and, as already mentioned, alternate in position from 
segment to segment in the same fashion. This fact cannot, how- 
ever, he regarded as a proof that the two worms belong to the same 
genus. I shall have occasion to point out in a future paper that an 
Australian earthworm, Cryptodrilusfletcheri, n. sp., possesses nephridia 
which are in every respect similar to those of Acanthodrilus and 
Neodrilus in structure and in position, and other instances are there 
mentioned. 
Urochceta, sp. 
The present description is the outcome of an investigation into 
the structure of an Australian species of the genus Urochceta. The 
specimens were kindly given to me by Mr S. Prout Newcombe, and 
come from Queensland. I have been able to examine a large 
number, all of which were in a very fair state of preservation for 
microscopical examination. 
The genus is at present known to inhabit Brazil, the West 
Indies, Java, Sumatra, and Australia, and comprises only three 
species at most. The first of these was originally described by Fritz 
Miiller,* who met with it in Brazil, under the name of Lumbricus 
corethrurus. The specific name “ brush-tail ” was given to the worm 
on account of the irregular disposition of the setae at the posterior 
end of the body ; the segments are in this region of the body very 
close together, and the setae being usually (at least in the contracted 
state of the body) much protracted and directed backwards, the 
aptness of the name will be very evident to any one acquainted 
with these worms. Fritz Muller did not thoroughly investigate the 
structure of the worm, and was therefore unable to see any reason 
for removing it from the genus Lumbricus. 
A somewhat fuller account of the same species was given by 
Perrier in his “ Recherches pour servir k l’histoire des lombriciens 
serrestres.” f Perrier rightly created a new genus for the reception 
* Arch. f. Naturg xxiii. ; Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 2, vol. xx. ; 
Abh. d. naturf. Gesellsch. in Halle, v., vi., 1857 ; in Landplanarien, von 
Max Schultze. 
t Nouv. Arch. d. Museum, t. viii. (1872). 
